Today is March 14 2014

National Potato Chip Day: More

• Pi Day: More
  Don't be discouraged. It is also Bake a Pie Day.

• In 1794, Eli Whitney patents the cotton gin (a machine to remove the seeds from the cotton fiber).
  From Wikipedia: 'A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, allowing for much greater productivity than manual cotton separation. The fibers are processed into clothing or other cotton goods, and any undamaged cotton was used for clothes. Seeds may be used to grow more cotton or to produce cottonseed oil and meal.' Although simple handheld roller gins have been used in India and other countries since at least 500 AD, the first modern mechanical cotton gin was created by American inventor Eli Whitney in 1793 and patented in 1794. It used a combination of a wire screen and small wire hooks to pull the cotton through, while brushes continuously removed the loose cotton lint to prevent jams. Whitney's gin revolutionized the cotton industry in the United States, but also led to the growth of slavery in the American South as the demand for cotton workers rapidly increased. The invention has thus been identified as an inadvertent contributing factor to th outbreak of the American Civil War. Modern automated cotton gins use multiple powered cleaning cylinders and saws, and offer far higher productivity than their hand-powered forebears'.
  - At FamousDaily.com: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1903, The 'Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge' (off Florida) is established by US President Theodore Roosevelt.
  From Wikipedia: 'Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located just off the western coast of Orchid Island in the Indian River Lagoon east of Sebastian, Florida. The refuge consists of a 3-acre (12,000 m2) island that includes an additional 2.5 acres (10,000 m2) of surrounding water and is located off the east coast of Florida of the Indian River Lagoon. Established by an executive order of President Theodore Roosevelt on March 14, 1903, Pelican Island was the first national wildlife refuge in the United States. It was created to protect egrets and other birds from extinction through plume hunting'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1937, Radio's comedy stars (and good friends) Jack Benny and Fred Allen begin their on-air feud 'Battle of the Century'.
  - At OldRadioShows.org: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1941, Xavier Cugat and orchestra record 'Babalu'.
  From Wikipedia: '"Babalú" is a Cuban popular afro song written by Margarita Lecuona, the cousin of composers Ernestina and Ernesto Lecuona. The song title is either a reference to the Santería deity Babalú Ayé or to Babalawo, the title of a Santería priest and diviner.
  
  In the song's lyrics, originally written in Spanish creole, the singer wonders aloud what to do with a statue of Babalú Ayé, now that a Santería rite had been invoked by others. He suggests that seventeen candles be lit up, in the shape of a cross, and that a cigar and aguardiente be brought to him, as to pay homage to the deity. He then requests good luck, love from his beloved woman, and safety and protection to both.'
  
  '"Babalú" was the signature song of the fictional television character Ricky Ricardo, played by Desi Arnaz in the television comedy series I Love Lucy, though it was already an established musical number for Arnaz in the 1940s as evidenced in the 1946 film short Desi Arnaz and His Orchestra. By the time ' Arnaz had adopted the song, it had become a Latin American music standard, associated mainly with Cuban singer Miguelito Valdés, who recorded one of its many versions. Arnaz made the song a rather popular cultural reference in the United States.'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
  - At Wikipedia (on I Love Lucy): More
• In 1942, The first recorded success of penicillin to heal a patient occurred.
  From Wikipedia: 'Penicillin (PCN or pen) is a group of antibiotics which include penicillin G (intravenous use), penicillin V (oral use), procaine penicillin, and benzathine penicillin (intramuscular use). They are derived from Penicillium fungi. Penicillin antibiotics were among the first medications to be effective against many bacterial infections caused by staphylococci and streptococci. Penicillins are still widely used today, though many types of bacteria have developed resistance following extensive use. All penicillins are ß-lactam antibiotics. About 10% of people report that they are allergic to penicillin; however, up to 90% of this group may not actually be allergic. Serious allergies only occur in about 0.03%.'
  
  Penicillin was discovered in 1928 by Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming. People began using it to treat infections in 1942. There are several enhanced penicillin families which are effective against additional bacteria; these include the antistaphylococcal penicillins, aminopenicillins and the antipseudomonal penicillins.'
  
  'The challenge of mass-producing this drug was daunting. On March 14, 1942, the first patient was treated for streptococcal septicemia with US-made penicillin produced by Merck & Co. Half of the total supply produced at the time was used on that one patient. By June 1942, just enough US penicillin was available to patient. By June 1942, just enough US penicillin was available to treat ten patients. In July 1943, the War Production Board drew up a plan for the mass distribution of penicillin stocks to Allied troops fighting in Europe. The results of fermentation research on corn steep liquor at the Northern Regional Research Laboratory at Peoria, Illinois, allowed the United States to produce 2.3 million doses in time for the invasion of Normandy in the spring of 1944. After a worldwide search in 1943, a mouldy cantaloupe in a Peoria, Illinois market was found to contain the best strain of mould for production using the corn steep liquor process. Large-scale production resulted from the development of deep-tank fermentation by chemical engineer Margaret Hutchinson Rousseau. As a direct result of the war and the War Production Board, by June 1945, over 646 billion units per year were being produced'.
  - At FamousDaily.com: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1950, FBI's '10 Most Wanted Fugitives' list/program begins.
  From Wikipedia: 'The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives is a most wanted list maintained by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, International News Service (the predecessor of the United Press International) Editor-in-Chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the FBI's "toughest guys". This discussion turned into a published article, which received so much positive publicity that on March 14, 1950, the FBI officially announced the list to increase law enforcement's ability to capture dangerous fugitives.
  
  Individuals are generally only removed from the list if the fugitive is captured, dies, or if the charges against them are dropped; they are then replaced by a new entry selected by the FBI. In six cases, the FBI removed individuals from the list after deciding that they were no longer a "particularly dangerous menace to society". Machetero member Víctor Manuel Gerena, added to the list in 1984, has been on the list longer than anyone, at 32 years. Billie Austin Bryant spent the shortest amount of time on the list, being listed for two hours in 1969. The oldest person to be added to the list was William Bradford Bishop on April 10, 2014 at 77 years old. On rare occasions, the FBI will add a "Number Eleven" if that individual is extremely dangerous but the Bureau does not feel any of the current ten should be removed. Despite occasional references in the media, the FBI does not rank their list; no suspect is considered "#1 on the FBI's Most Wanted List" or "The Most Wanted"'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1958, The 'Recording Industry Association of America' creates its records sales award, gives first 'golden record' to Perry Como for 'Catch A Falling Star'.
  From Wikipedia: 'Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory.'
  
  Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories, which are named after precious materials.
  
  The number of sales or shipments required for these awards depends upon the population of the territory in which the recording is released. Typically, they are awarded only to international releases and are awarded individually for each country in which the album is sold. Different sales levels, some perhaps 10 times lower than others, may exist for different music media (for example: videos versus albums, singles, or downloads).'
  
  United States:
  -- Media: Album Gold: 500,000 Platinum: 1,000,000 Diamond: 10,000,000
  -- Media: Single Gold: 500,000 Platinum: 1,000,000 Diamond: 10,000,000
  --Media: Music video: Gold: 50,000 Platinum: 100,000 Diamond: N/A
  
  '"Catch a Falling Star", written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, is a song made famous by Perry Como's hit version, released in 1957. It was Como's last #1 hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard "Most Played by Jockeys" chart but not in the overall top 100, where it reached #2. It was the first single to receive a gold record certification, on March 14, 1958. The single won Como the 1959 Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Male. Its melody is based on a theme from Brahms' Academic Festival Overture'.
  - At FamousDaily.com: More
  - At Wikipedia (ratings): More
  - At Wikipedia (Catch a Falling Star): More
  - On YouTube (Catch A Falling Star): More
• In 1987, At the 13th People's Choice Awards:
  -- Favorite Motion Picture is 'Top Gun'.
  -- Favorite Motion Picture Actress is Meryl Streep.
  -- Favorite Motion Picture Actor is Clint Eastwood.
  -- Favorite Male Musical Performer is Lionel Richie.
  -- Favorite Female Musical Performer is Whitney Houston, Madonna.
  -- Favorite Country Music Performer is Kenny Rogers.
  -- Favorite Musical Group is Alabama.
  -- Favorite TV Comedy Program is 'The Cosby Show'.
  -- Favorite TV Dramatic Program is 'Hill Street Blues'.
  -- Favorite Male TV Performer is Bill Cosby.
  -- Favorite Female TV Performer is Cybill Shepherd.
  -- Favorite New TV Comedy Program is 'Alf'.
  -- Favorite New TV Dramatic Program is 'L.A. Law'.
  -- Favorite Male Performer in a New TV Program is Andy Griffith.
  -- Favorite Female Performer in a New TV Program is Pam Dawber.
  -- Favorite All-Around Male Entertainer is Bill Cosby.
  -- Favorite All-Around Female Entertainer is Barbara Mandrell, Cybill Shepherd.
  - At PeoplesChoice.com: More
• In 1994, Linux kernel version 1.0.0 is released.
  From Wikipedia: 'Linux is a Unix-like and mostly POSIX-compliant computer operating system (OS) assembled under the model of free and open-source software development and distribution. The defining component of Linux is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on 5 October 1991 by Linus Torvalds.The Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to describe the operating system, which has led to some controversy.
  
  'On 14 March 1994, Linux kernel 1.0.0 was released, with 176,250 lines of code. In March 1995, Linux kernel 1.2.0 was released, with 310,950 lines of code.
  
  Version 2 of the Linux kernel, released on 9 June 1996, was followed by additional major versions under the version 2 heade ...'.:
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More

Nothing. Looks like I was lazy on this day.

No. 1 song

• I Want To Hold Your Hand - The Beatles: More
  The Beatles have there first hit the No. 1 in the US. This will hold the no. 1 spot until March 21st, when another Beatles song, She Loves You, takes over.

Top movie

• Kissin' Cousins More
  It will be there until the weekend box office of March 22, 1964 when, 'The Pink Panther', takes over.

• FamousBirthdays.com: March 14 Birthdays More
• FamousDaily.com: March 14 History More
• History.com: Historical Events on 14th March More
• HistoryOrb.com: Famous Deaths on 14th March More
• On-This-day.com history 14th March More
• On-This-day.com music history 14th March More
• Wikipedia.com: History March 14 More

National Celery Month, National Flour Month, National Nutrition Month, National Noodle Month, National Peanut Month, National Sauce Month

March is:

March origin (from Wikipedia):
'The name of March comes from Latin Martius, the first month of the earliest Roman calendar. It was named for Mars, the Roman god of war who was also regarded as a guardian of agriculture and an ancestor of the Roman people through his sons Romulus and Remus. '

March 'is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is one of seven months that are 31 days long. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20th or 21st marks the astronomical beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, where September is the seasonal equivalent of the Northern Hemisphere's March. '

March at Wikipedia: More

If you couldn't afford 90 cents for a movie ticket, 50 years ago, or your 45 RPM record player was broke, you might watch one of these shows on TV.
From this Wikipedia article: More

Best selling books of 1964 More

• Astronomy Picture of the Day: More
• NOAA: - National Hurricane Center - Atlantic Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook: More
• Listen to Old Radio Shows: (streaming mp3 with schedule) More
• NASA TV: (video feed) More
  NASA TV schedule: More
• Public Domain eBook Links

  Sites for downloading or reading free Public Domain eBooks. Available in various formats. More

• Podcast: A Moment of Science. Approximately 1 minute general science facts.
  Home page: More
  RSS: More
• Podcast: The Naked Scientists. Current science, medicine, space and other science
  Home page: More
  RSS: More
• Podcast: Quirks & Quarks. Current science news.
  Home page: More
  RSS: More
• Articles and videos: Universe Today. Current space and astronomy news.
  Home page: More
  RSS: More
• Old Picture of the Day - "Each day we bring you one stunning little glimpse of history in the form of a historical photograph."
  Home page: More
  RSS: More

Below, are listed several holiday sites that I reference in addition to other holiday researches.

US Government Holidays

• 2014 Postal Holidays More
• 2014 Official Federal Holidays More

Holidays Worldwide

• List of holidays by country More
• Holidays and Observances around the World More